Not His

8. Girls Night...Plus Griffin

"Ok, The Notebook or John Tucker Must Die?" Bridget, one of my friends from school, said as she held up two DVD cases.

"Hmmm," I put a finger to my swollen cheeks as I thought.

"I think we should have a Pretty Little Liars marathon."

"Of course you would, Aria," Bridget laughed at our smiling friend.

To say Aria was obsessed with that ABC Family show was an understatement. She was beyond obsessed. It all started because one of the main characters, who 'just happens' to be her favorite, shares the same name as her. But as she continued to watch, she was instantly hooked on the mystery of the show and couldn't stop watching it.

Needless to say, Aria is our 'pretty friend.' And by that I don't know mean Bridget and I don't have appealing faces. By 'pretty friend' I mean she adores anything pink, girly, and/or sparkly. I'm pretty sure she also attained makeup guru status at the age of 2 - though her mom being a supermodel probably helped.

Now normally, I avoid the 'pretty girls' in school because, let's face it, most of them are stuck up snobs that have the brain equivalent to a squirrel's and unhealthy bodies as thin as twigs. But Aria's different. She's just as pretty as them, if not more, but, unlike them, has a heart of gold and a smile always on her face. She's just such a sweet and genuine friend it's hard not to love her. I for one certainly liked her right away from the day she and Bridget said hi to me at my lunch table.

And then there's Bridget. As far as makeup and fashion goes, Bridget is the one more like me. We like it from time to time and appreciate it's existence, but we don't live in it. As fun as it is to do, I'll admit, we frankly are just too lazy to worry about looking perfect every day. (Although, personally for me, the biggest reason I don't do it every day is because I like to try and stay natural as much as I can. It's important to me to make sure I don't begin to think I need any cosmetics.)

Bridget also is usually too busy playing some sport, like me, so 1) makeup usually isn't on our mind, just crushing the other team; and 2), if we were wearing it, we'd sweat it off until we looked like deranged clowns by the time our game was done. But what happens off-field sure doesn't stop us from giving each other makeovers on girl's nights like this.

...Except for today, that is, seeing as I had just gotten my wisdom teeth removed on Thursday and my swollen, aching face was in no mood, or condition, for that matter, to receive a makeover. Instead, the three of us were having a movie marathon as we stuffed our mouths with ice cream - more so me on that last part, the cold proven very effective in easing my pain.

"The Notebook," I say, sounding slightly muffled through my chipmunk cheeks.

Don't even get me started on my 'chipmunk cheeks,' as Dustin called it, right before he doubled over with laughter when he saw me come home Thursday. Needless to say, every time I look in the mirror I either want to laugh at how ridiculous it looks or cry at how fat my face is. Today was Saturday though, so supposedly the swelling is supposed to be going down as the days pass, thankfully.

"Oh?" Bridget said in surprise. "What's with you picking the more romantic movie, miss I-hate-guys?"

"I don't hate guys..."

"Well you're usually sick of them, what, with your parents and all. So what's up?" she continued as she tried to decipher my sudden interest in a romantic movie.

"Nothing's up," I chuckled. "You've seen me watch a romantic movie before, just last week, remember?"

"Yeah, but that was my choice. You always stay clear of them when it's up to you," she paused as her face lit up. "Wait a minute...do you like someone?"